Self-skills education - the next revolution?

We had the industrial revolution and we are deep into the technological revolution, could self-skills education be the next revolution?

The world population has witnessed huge changes over the past two to three decades.  In some ways these changes have sneaked up on us without us realising!  It’s a bit like growing your hair; you look at yourself every day and don’t notice much change, however when you meet an old friend who hasn’t seen you for a long time they immediately see a big change in you. 

Lets think about some of the changes that have quietly worked their magic on us over the past 30-40 years without us really noticing.  These include:

·         The increasing disintegration of the family unit and the advent of none married partnerships – resulting in reduction in stability and security, less personal commitment and an increase in the desire for change

·         The collapse of job security, job for life, and the temporary worker boom – resulting in significantly reduced feelings of stability and security, lower commitment and an increase in unpredictability and risk taking.

·         The introduction of mobile phones, instant messaging, the computer, email and the Internet – resulting in a significant increase in solitary communication, reduced ability to confidently interact and relate on a face-to-face level, reduced interpersonal communication skills and an increase in less personal more detached relationships.

Young people growing up today are influenced by the present, therefore it is a very strong possibility that their way of behaving and attitude toward things lines up with and reflects the above issues.

Is it a possibility or even a probability that young people today are less self-aware and less aware of how they are perceived by others, less confident in their ability to interact and relate with others on a personal level and have less belief in their ability to succeed in the ever changing landscape of the world of work?

Could the transformation in the way young people think and behave together with the corresponding lack of equivalent change in education practices to address these issues have had an effect on young peoples self-skills development?